Wetland foundation chairman says $50 billion needed to save La. coast

Protecting national, state and local assets in Louisiana’s coastal region would cost at least $50 billion, says R. King Milling, chairman of the board of America’s Wetland Foundation. Milling’s estimate is in the introductory letter to a report released today outlining 30 recommendations for actions to sustain the Gulf Coast. The recommendations came out of 11 forums with more than 1,100 leaders from across the region, the foundation says. Among other moves, the report recommends streamlining approval for coastal restoration and protection projects by, for example, resolving conflicting federal policies and practices; and it suggests local governments create their own funding streams, perhaps derived from a percentage of occupancy and property taxes, that could be dedicated to coastal restoration and protection. Read the complete report here. —David Jacobs